Here’s how to use the Octatrack to draw custom audio waveforms like can be done on the classic Fairlight CMI. You can then use your custom-drawn waves in the Octatrack, Monomachine, or other audio gear.

To see the original Fairlight making custom waveforms:

Example of creating visually understand the “light pen” (wand) and a sound change some parameters or effects.
More info here : http://mustudio.fr

Swedish hardware developer Elektron – most recently known for its Octatrack performance sampler – is teasing a new product on a specially created website.

There’s nothing in the way of spec: just a cryptic photo and the words ‘Tradition & Future’. You can guess as well as we can what this means, but it’s logical to assume that the new hardware will take inspiration from the past while also delivering some next-gen features.

More news as we get it: the website suggests that the new instrument(?) will be released in 2012, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long.

Jimmy Myhrman provides an nice encounter of the Minitaur and the Octatrack, here are the details:

Having fun with Minitaur and Octatrack. Minitaur is MIDI sequenced by Octatrack, and the Octatrack also records the Minitaur audio and plays it back while preparing and fading in new sounds on the Minitaur (headphones are used to cue the live minitaur audio, while recorded minitaur audio is played to main output).

By taking advantage of the flexible audio engine of the Octatrack, sounds can be radically reshaped. This is demonstrated in this video. The same single cycle waveform sample has been used as the basis for all the sounds of the pattern.